Brink of Death
by Kilalafriend
Summary: Hidden past from one no one would of thought of... A person from their past out for revenge, will he/she survive? R&R Updated!
1. Attacks

-1Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from RK. I really wish I did though. I hope you enjoy the story.. Please, Please Review!

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Brink of Death

Usually Kaoru would hate to be left alone, but Kenshin, Sano, Megumi and Yahiko had promised to be back in a week.

_'They'll be back today!'_ Kaoru thought happily as she was sweeping the dojo's floor. Kaoru had finished cleaning and was training, when she heard something outside. She went to look and found a man outside, readying himself to attack. He lunged himself at her and she quickly kicked his butt. She got some rope and tied him up.

Clinic

"Yahiko, go tell Miss Kaoru that we will be there soon." Kenshin told the boy.

"Ok, Kenshin" he answered while running off. Kenshin, Sano, and Megumi stopped by her clinic before going to the dojo. Megumi headed in and dropped off her bags before quickly changing into some more comfortable clothing.

Dojo

Kaoru was still outside when another man appeared and attacked. She took him down as well. Yahiko could hear fighting when he opened the dojo gates. He saw Kaoru fighting and taking down a man. Five more came out of the woods and went towards his sensei. He took out his bokken and charged towards the attackers. It took only a couple minutes to take beat them and tie them up. They were about to get Kenshin and Sano after Yahiko relayed his message, but ten more armed men came out of the woods and attacked. Kaoru got a wound on her side, but it wasn't anything serious. When they were done they tied them up and Kaoru went to get a coat, for it was a little chilly that day, and so she could wait for the others outside. She knew something was wrong the moment she stepped into her bedroom.

Clinic

"Can we go now, Fox?" Sano asked impatiently.

"Yes, rooster-head we can go." Megumi answered tiredly.

They started walking when they heard a scream that sent chills down their spines.' Kaoru,' Kenshin thought fearfully as he ran towards the dojo. The others could barely keep up with his pace and quickly lost him. They continued running nonstop towards the dojo.

Dojo

Three swords entered her body five seconds after she entered her bedroom door. She screamed bloody murder that could be heard for miles around. She felt the swords slide out of her body and that's when they kicked her through the wall. She hardly felt anything as she landed hard on the cold ground. She couldn't feel anything but pain and the blood flowing from her body.

Kenshin had made it in time to see Kaoru fly through the wall and land on the ground. He beat the men unconscious, that had attacked her, until he felt some what satisfied.

"Yahiko, go get Saitoh. Now!" Kenshin all but yelled at the poor horror stricken kid. He ran through the gates on his mission and met up with Megumi and Sano. They noticed he was crying though he didn't seem to notice it himself.

"What's Wrong?" Megumi asked worriedly. The poor boy couldn't do anything but point towards the dojo. They left him and ran to where he was pointing and he continued on his way.

Kenshin kneeled next to Kaoru and checked her breathing. His heart skipped a beat when he heard her breath hitch for a moment and then continue unevenly. Her Kimono was torn and she was bleeding heavily. As he picked her up, Sano and Megumi came through the gates.

"What happened?" Megumi and Sano asked at the same time while looking at the unconscious men.

"I don't know, but Kaoru is hurt pretty badly." Kenshin answered his voice thick with worry and concern.

Megumi gasped as she finally noticed the bleeding figure in his arms.

"Kenshin, don't stand there! Get her into the living room so I can treat her. Sano go get some bandages and hot water, Now! Hurry!" She told the men.

Megumi got Kaoru's futon and put it into the living room. She thanked the gods she had unconsciously brought her medicine bag with her. Kenshin laid Kaoru gently down on the futon and moved out of the way.

"Kenshin there's a wound on her head, can you bandage it for me?" Megumi asked as she continued to bandage the wounds Kenshin had seen earlier.

"Of course Miss Megumi." Kenshin answered and got the bandage Megumi handed to him.

After he was done bandaging her head he laid her head on his lap and he leaned against the wall.

Two hours later Kaoru was fixed up and resting while Megumi was staying the night to make sure Kaoru would be alright. Kenshin had not moved from his spot against the wall and Kaoru had not woken up yet. Sano and Yahiko went to the police station to see why the men had attacked Kaoru. No one knew, but Kaoru was having a strange dream.

The Dream

"Who are you? And where am I?" Kaoru asked the woman figure in front of her.

"I am Tomoe, you need not fear me, for I am here to help you." Tomoe told the frightened girl.

"You are in the world between life and death. You're too close to death in your body so your spirit unconsciously sought refuge in this world. You have the choice to live or die, what is your decision?" she asked.

"I want to live." Kaoru answered unfazed.

"Good, I thought you would say that. Now in two minutes your body will stop breathing and that's when you have to go to your body. If you don't, you will die." Tomoe told her and pointed the way.

"I want you to tell Kenshin that I love him, but he needs to move on and forget his past deeds. You need to tell him that you love him, I know he has feelings for you. He hasn't told you because he thinks that he is unworthy. It's not true and you believe that. Go now or you will miss your chance." Tomoe told the stunned girl and with that she ran.

Real World

Kenshin opened his eyes as he heard Kaoru's breathing become harsh and rigid.

"Megumi!" Kenshin yelled as he put Kaoru's head on her pillow and looked at her.

"Megumi! Kaoru's breathing has changed!" Kenshin yelled frantically. Megumi ran into the room and sat down beside Kaoru quickly, while trying to determine what was going on.

At this point Kaoru took one last shuddering breath then no more.

"Kenshin, I'll push down three times on her chest then you blow into her mouth twice then we'll repeat until she starts breathing."

Megumi said quickly and pushed down. Kenshin waited impatiently, then blew into her mouth twice. They repeated and with every attempt their fear began to grow. Finally, she took a shallow breath then another, until her breathing became regular. Kenshin was shaking; he was so scared for her, and Megumi was crying she was so relieved. Megumi stood up and went to tell Sano and Yahiko, who were outside the door, that Kaoru was going to be ok.

When she had left he took Kaoru's hand and let a few tears, he had held, flow down his face._ 'God I hope this never happens again. I won't let it happen again.' _he told himself. The few tears he shed were that of relief and the failure he felt for not protecting her. He was startled when he felt a hand touch his face and looked down to see Kaoru looking at him.

"Don't cry Kenshin. I'm right here, everything is ok now, you don't have to worry." she said soothingly. He wouldn't be weak and cry again, but a surge of relief took him and he rested his head gently on part of her stomach not injured. She was shocked that he actually laid like that on her, but she gently stroked his hair and whispered nonsense to him just to comfort him more. '_God, today must've been stressful for him.'_ Kaoru thought and noticed that he had fallen asleep. While she was looking at him she remembered what Tomoe had told her. She told herself that she was going to tell him her feelings as soon as she could.

She awoke with him still sleeping the same way from last night, except that he didn't look as troubled. Also, he was spread out more and looked more comfortable. She winced when she stretched a little and looked at her bandages. They were a brown color and none of it looked fresh. '_Good, I don't like to look at blood.' _She thought and waited for Kenshin to wake up.

He awoke in layers, noticing that he was warm and comfortable. He then noticed he was laying on something soft and he remembered last night. He started to get up a light blush staining his cheeks, but was stopped by a small hand.

"You can lay for a while longer, no one is awake yet." Kaoru told him tenderly. He obeyed and laid back down closing his eyes.

"Are you feeling ok, Kaoru-dono?" He asked breaking the silence, while his eyes stayed closed.

"Yes, much better, thank you." She answered, yawning.

"You should sleep, that you should." He told her.

"I will, but I have something to tell you." she said quietly. He turned his head to look at her and noticed a serious expression on her face.

"Whatever it is Kaoru you can tell me." he said.

She nodded and thought that it was odd that he had forgotten the -dono on her name and didn't even seem to realize it. She didn't mind though, she liked it better this way.

"Kenshin, I have wanted to tell you that Tomoe helped me come to the world of the living and that she loves you. She wants you to be happy and that you are not unworthy."

Kenshin was astounded that his old love had helped her come back to him and that she had said that he was not unworthy. He looked at Kaoru with happiness and thankfulness that she was alive. He pulled her into a hug that he had wanted to give to her for a long time. Kaoru decided that she would tell Kenshin that she loved him when she felt ready.

She hugged him back gently and sighed in contentment. He sat up and his head shot towards the door when he heard someone shout from outside. As he listened he sensed a dark presence and looked down to her.

"I'll be right back." he promised her and left to go outside.

As he walked outside he dodged a throwing star aimed for his head. He looked up and saw a man dressed only in black.

"What do you want here?" Kenshin asked coldly.

"Why, I want Kaoru of course." The man answered calmly.

"What do you want with Kaoru?" He asked cautiously.

"I want revenge, her father killed my family and I have come here to kill her." he answered.

"You will not lay a hand on Kaoru-dono, that you will not." Kenshin said while pulling his reverse blade sword out.

"We will see." The man said as he pulled his own sword out.

Sano awoke and went inside to check on Kaoru and found her against the wall peeking outside. As he watched she slumped against the wall and held her chest. Her eyes were shut tight and she whimpered a little.

"What's wrong Kaoru?" Sano asked worriedly as he went to her. She couldn't answer, she was reliving the past.

Flashback

"Papa where are you going?" little Kaoru asked. Her father smiled down at her and told her that he was going to a friends house and that he would be back soon. She nodded and waved as he left.

Little Kaoru noticed that when her father came back his sword was a dirty brown-red color. A month and a half later a dark figure entered her house and her mother made her hide in a secret room in the closet. She peered out of a hole in the closet, watching as her only family were murdered. He had looked for her, but never found her and left before anyone came by. She heard him swear that he would kill her and would finish avenging his dead family before he left.

End Of Flashback

Sano couldn't do anything as he watched her absorbed into her on little world. She shook her head to clear the memories from her mind and turned to look at Sano with glazed eyes before she spoke.

"Sano...make sure that Kenshin doesn't get hurt. I'll be fine." She whispered to him.

A little uncomfortable with her gaze, he agreed anyways, and left to go outside. Despite all the noise, Yahiko and Megumi were still sleeping peacefully.

Kenshin had a cut on his left arm and was panting heavily. The other guy wasn't doing as well, he was bleeding heavily from his leg and arm. He finally fell after a blow to the back and was taken to Saitoh's curtsey of Sano. He would be treated there and put into jail. Kenshin went inside and wrapped his arm up. He went back to Kaoru's room and found her sitting against the wall crying as great sobs racked her body.

"What's wrong Kaoru?" Kenshin asked worriedly as he sat next to her.

"Kenshin...that man...he killed my family." She sobbed helplessly. He pulled her into his arms and she cried into his gi. He stroked her hair and whispered nonsense to her. She finally calmed down enough to fall asleep in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and rested his head against the wall. Soon he was asleep as well.

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A/N: I do not own RK i wish i did. Please read and review. If you do I will love you forever and call you Friend.


	2. Stories

Brink of Death

Kenshin woke to feel the woman he secretly loved stir in his arms. He looked down to see her staring up at him. He smiled warmly at her and she graced him with a small smile in return. He laid her back on her futon. "I'm going to get Miss Megumi to change your bandages while I cook breakfast alright Kaoru?" he asked. She nodded up at him. When he had left she thought back to the events of the past two days. The man who had killed her family had come after her and the men that had attacked her before he came were most likely part of his plan. 'He must have thought that he could weaken Kenshin and then come after me.' Kaoru thought to herself. Megumi came in and changed her bandages.

The day went by uneventfully and they had a good time. Kaoru complained about having to stay in bed. Kenshin decided that they should move the futon outside for a while. Kaoru immediately brightened at the idea. She watched as her student did his sword strokes for the rude comments he had yelled at her. She yelled at him every chance she got about his posture or about how to swing the bokken better. He ended up getting five hundred strokes for calling her buso. Kenshin toke her and her futon back to her room telling her that she need to rest before dinner. She agreed reluctantly and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Dream

_ She was being pushed into the closet into the little room they kept for emergencies. She watched as her mother told her to stay in here no matter what could or would happen. She gave her small daughter a hug then she closed the door and headed towards where her husband was. She knew that her husband had killed, but she knew that he had not enjoyed what he had done. He had woken up many nights crying over what he had done. Now they had to face the son of the ones he had killed. He knew that his wife should be hiding, but she refused to do as he said. She had told him plainly that she would die by his side if need be and so the battle began; she took up her bokken and he his sword. They fought hard and long, but in the end had died by the sons hands. He searched the entire house trying to find their daughter, but to no avail. He cursed loudly, saying that he would be back and would kill her as well. _

_ She stayed in that room for hours until she could no longer be in there. She ran out and right when she did she felt something slice across her back. She screamed in pain and fell. She heard laughter from behind her and knew that the man had stayed hidden in the shadows for hours not moving an inch. She felt the blood flow from her body and felt herself grow colder. She felt him leave and she reluctantly pushed herself up and headed out the front of the door. She cried out when she saw her parents bodies laying in their own blood. She saw that her mother had crawled to her father and grabbed his hand. She knew that they were both dead. She went to them and kissed them each on the head. She headed as fast as she could towards the town trying to get to Doctor Gensai. She made it as far as the town center before she collapsed. Fortunately there were people around and they rushed to her for they knew her father and mother. They were well respected in the community. She was rushed to Doctor Gensai's clinic. She was saved and he took care of her afterwards. She was plagued by dreams of her mother and fathers last scream and the picture of their bodies would haunt her forever_.

Reality 

She woke up screaming. She calmed herself right before Kenshin and the other rushed into her room. They flooded her with questions and she tried her best to answer them. The scar on her back was burning painfully. Miss Megumi saw her discomfort and ushered everyone out. She closed the shoji doors, leaving only a tiny little crack. Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko peered through it careful not to make a sound.

"What is bothering you Kaoru?" Megumi asked her. She looked at Miss Megumi and sighed.

"I have a scar on my back that Doctor Gensai treated many years ago when that man first came to my home. He murdered my family, then waited for me to come out of hiding. When I did, he attacked, slashing me across my back. I waited until he was gone for sure before I got up and left. I went into town by myself and made it as far as the town center before I collapsed. People that had cared about my family and myself rushed me to Doctor Gensai's clinic. Everything after that is a blur. I don't really remember how long I was in his clinic under his care. I know that when I finally went home everything was the same way as it had been before he had come to destroy my life. Now my scar is bothering me; it feels like it's burning." Kaoru finished. Megumi was surprised, but quickly covered it with a neutral look.

"Can I see the scar?" Megumi asked. Kaoru nodded and turned her back towards her. She slowly let her Kimono slip off of her shoulders. Megumi gasped softly as she saw how long the scar was. It ran from her right shoulder, diagonally, to her left side almost to the top of her left butt cheek.

Kenshin felt anger rise within him, but looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Sano looked down on him and let his anger be known to Kenshin as well. Kenshin smiled at Sano, then looked down at Yahiko. The little boys fists were clinched in anger by his sides. Kenshin rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder and they left the women alone.

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Read and review please. And I'm sorry it took so long to update. I just got my computer to work again not too long ago. Oh...Sorry it's so short...I promise to make the chapters longer if you keep reviewing...Bye


	3. Training and Slip ups

-1I do not own any of the Characters in this story. They belong to the genius that created it and I have no right to say that they are mine. Though I really wish they were. I hope you enjoy the continuance of this story because it only gets better.

Something interesting is going to happen and no one knows it but me Muhahahaha! Read and you will find out...

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One Step Further

Megumi looked at the scar carefully. It had healed neatly and cleanly even though the scar was still present. It looked to be a little red and irritated. She quickly made a cream that would help with the itching and burning Kaoru felt.

"Put this on every night before you go to bed. It will help with itching and burning you feel until it goes away." Kaoru nodded and slipped her clothes back into place. Megumi left her and went into the kitchen.

She noticed the fierce and angered looks on the boys faces as she entered the room. She sighed.

"So you saw the scar as well?" Their heads jerked up in surprise, then hung in guilt.

"She'll be fine, I gave her some cream to put on every night before she goes to bed until it stops itching and burning." They nodded, yet no one spoke a word.

"I'm off to the clinic. Let me know if anything happens." They saw her off and waved goodbye as she turned to leave.

They went back inside and started to do the chores that needed doing, even Sano helped.

Kaoru, feeling exhausted, fell asleep once more. Her dreams plagued by the death of her parents and that man.

Unknown to everybody, something evil was lurking underneath the skin of someone they all knew.

A week later

Kaoru woke up to the dawn of a new day. She stretched and noticed that she wasn't as sore as usual and that her wounds had healed nicely. She grabbed the clothes that she wanted to wear for that day and headed to make herself a bath.

She discovered that the water was already heated and a note was on the door. It read,

"_Dear Miss Kaoru, _

_I've prepared a bath for you before heading out to the market for some tofu. I will be back shortly and will begin breakfast. Yahiko is still sleeping I believe. Enjoy you bath."_

_Kenshin_

She smiled at his thoughtfulness and that he had signed the note with his name and not any of his unworthy crap. She headed into the room and enjoyed her bath.

She dressed in a light blue kimono. Her obi was a lighter blue and the sash was a darker blue.

She walked into the dojo and decided to rouse the sleeping boy. She walked to his room and opened the door. Sure enough he was asleep, sprawled across his futon. She smiled softly at the young boy and walked to his side. Deciding since he hadn't done anything bad lately, to wake him up nicely. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him softly.

"Yahiko, Yahiko. It's time to wake up. Kenshin will be back from the market and he'll start breakfast. You wouldn't want to miss that would you?" She said to the groggy boy. He shook his head no and got up.

Kaoru went and stood on the porch, the soft wind playing with her loose hair. She sat down and leaned her back against one of the columns. She closed her eyes and thought back to the day her life was changed dramatically. She continued to dwell on those thoughts until she heard the gate open and close.

She opened her eyes and watched as Sano and Kenshin approached. They didn't seem too happy. They sat next to her, one on each side, Kenshin setting the box of tofu down by his feet. They looked at each other and Kenshin sighed. Kaoru was feeling very nervous sitting between the two.

"What's wrong? What happened?" She asked them, breaking the tense silence. Kenshin looked at Sano, and this time Sano sighed.

"The man that said that he came here for you, to exact his revenge, well he, he escaped his morning." Sano looked at Kaoru, she had paled. He really hadn't wanted to be the one to tell her that. Yahiko had come to stand next to Sano when he told Kaoru what had happened, and he had paled as well.

Kenshin looked at the people he had grown to love and swore that nothing would harm them, no matter what happened.

"I promise nothing will happen to you or anyone else. I will make sure of that." The thought of the scar on Kaoru's back made his eyes flash briefly. She was oddly comforted by that.

They went inside and Kenshin started to make the breakfast after Yahiko's stomach had growled. After breakfast (Yahiko was for once silent), Kaoru went to change into her training outfit.

She watched as Yahiko finished his strokes as a warm up, before she told him to get into his battle stance. She would wait for him to attack then block it and counter attack "softly" hitting him in the areas he left open.

"Keep your bokken up, Yahiko" She yelled as she attacked him. He dodged and counter attacked, hitting her on her side, none too softly. Kaoru grabbed her side and bent over a little and smiled proudly at her student.

Kenshin was watching from the side line and was surprised when Yahiko managed to hit Kaoru. He was a little worried when she grabbed her side, but refrained himself from doing anything.

Yahiko looked at his sensei, crouched over holding her side. He walked over to her and looked at her worriedly.

"Are you ok Kaoru?" He asked, she nodded and stood erect once more.

"Good job Yahiko, you're getting better." Yahiko smile cockily as her. She playfully hit him over the head and asked him if he could do it again.

He got back into his stance and waited for her to attack. When she did, he dodged and went to counter attack when he noticed that she wasn't in front of him anymore. He sensed her presence behind himself too late. A sharp pain at the base of the neck brought him to his knees. He hadn't seen her move.

Kenshin watched in astonishment at the quick movements that Kaoru had made. He had never seen that kind of movement coming from Kaoru. She smiled down at her fallen student. She gave him a hand getting up and looked at his face, he was angry and hurt in pride.

"You did exceptionally well today and since you haven't called me anything bad lately, I'll let you have the rest of the day off to relax. Also, if you continue to not call me names, I might just teach you the move I made against you."

Yahiko brightened up at the idea of learning something new. He smiled at her and left the dojo. Kaoru watched him leave and sank against the wall. She gingerly touched her side and hissed slightly at the pain that stabbed at her. 'That's going to leave a nasty bruise.' She thought to herself.

She closed her eyes and relaxed, she smiled slightly at the memory of Yahiko's face as it showed triumph when he had landed a solid hit on her.

Kenshin sat by the training halls door, completely surprised by her movements. He didn't want to voice the thoughts that entered his mind for he knew, or thought, them to be false.

Kaoru noticed earlier that Kenshin had come to watch and was now sitting by the door. She sensed the amazement and unvoiced questions that surrounded his aura. She should have know better than to exact that move while Kenshin was around, but the feeling of freedom she got from it got to her.

'Great Kaoru, smooth move, you just had to go and get all good feeling and show them a portion of what you can do. Now there's going to be questions and I have to be the one to answer them. I screwed up big time.'

She cursed herself silently. Now she was going to have to tell Kenshin and the others something they never would have thought.

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Muahahahahahaha...Only I know what is going to happen and you have to review to find out. I want you ALL to Review. I want REVIEWS! I don't have that many. I will love you all forever if you review.


	4. Secrets and Battles

-1I do not own any of the Characters in this story except Matakashi. They belong to the genius that created it and I have no right to say that they are mine. Though I really wish they were. I hope you enjoy the continuance of this story because it only gets better.

Secrets will be told and battles will be fought. One battle though will take everything that person has to survive it. Hope you enjoy this chapter and the events in it.

XoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoX

Secrets and Battles

Kaoru walked up to Kenshin and smiled at him.

"I have no wish to keep secret the things of my past any longer. I will let you know the true nature of my training and why I never told you before." She said as she headed to her room.

"When will you tell us Kaoru-don...Kaoru?" He corrected himself, knowing how much she hated it, and smiled at her.

"At sunset. I will have to dwell on some things before I can show and tell you about my past." She told him.

She looked back at him as she went down the hall and around a corner.

Later

Kaoru ate dinner and headed outside after it. She looked at the sun and decided that it would set in about an hour and a half. 'Good, enough time to warm up.' She thought. She had changed into an outfit similar to Kenshin's except the top was more fitting, showing off her bust and the pants weren't as baggy, but she could still move freely in them. She grabbed her bokken and headed off towards a hidden path into the forest. Making sure no one was following her, she headed quickly down the path. She came to a clearing with a little shrine at the end.

She walked to the shrine and kneeled before it.

_'Dear mother. I ask you to forgive me for what I'm about to do. I know that you didn't want me to ever expose what father had taught me, but I believe it's time to tell the ones that I love. I can't keep it from them any longer. I know that you taught me well and I will keep the promise I made with you before you passed. I love you and father and I hope to see you and him one day, but not until my times comes. Sayonara.'_

She got up from the spot where she had prayed and went into another clearing to practice before heading back.

Earlier

Kenshin watched her go, wanting to be able to follow her. A hand stopped him from continuing the thought in reality. He looked up into the eyes of Sano and nodded. They watched as she disappeared into the forest, before going out to the porch to await her return.

Present

Kaoru came back as the sun began to set on the horizon.

Kenshin watched as she sat next to him. She took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to start. She looked to the setting sun before starting.

"When I was young, my mother taught me techniques with the bokken. My father, however, taught me techniques with the sword. I mastered both," she looked at their disbelieving faces, "though I use the bokken. I was still little when the war was going on, no more than 6 or 7. My father was training me to be an assassin in case the war went wrong. I learned both how to kill and how to save. My father was sent on a mission to kill, though my mother begged him not to go. Two weeks later he came back.

"We couldn't get him to talk for nearly a week, even though we tried and tried. Finally, he started to say small things here and there. He continued to train me, believing that my use would never be needed, but he couldn't be certain. My mother trained me as well and made me promise to never kill someone. I made that promise and I have kept it. A year before the end of the war I went with my father on a mission. I was to watch and learn mostly and help if needed. The man we were after was an important governor. He was heavily guarded. My father came up with a plan to get inside the mansion. I was a big part of their plan. I was to be sent in as a beggar, dressed in ragged clothing. My father gave me a short katana that hid perfectly underneath my clothes. He told me to use it only if I really needed to.

"I was let in and I offered to help them with anything that they needed in return for their kindness. They made me wash my hands and I peeled potatoes for them. Everyone left the kitchen after being summoned by the governor for a meeting. I took this as my chance. I slipped some sleeping powder into the food and went back to peeling potatoes. When dinner was served, I found out that the meeting was to tell the cooks to give the guards their dinner early. I was ecstatic. I watched as everyone fell asleep almost immediately before my eyes. I went and tied the governor up and managed to drag him to the gates. I swiped the keys and opened the gates. My father and his men were reading to dash in. What they saw was a small little girl smiling proudly at the work she had completed. They were surprised to see the governor at my side asleep and tied up. That was a happy night after we left the mansion.

"My father promised that the governor would not be hurt of killed. The promise was kept. He died two years ago of a heart attack." She stopped for a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing her story.

"We returned and a week or two passed before the night my parents died..."She recounted her tale of that horrible night.

"Would you show me what you can do, little missy?" Sano asked curiously.

"Sure, but you'll have to fight me." She answered, smiling wickedly.

The smile was a little unnerving to him, but Sano, not completely believing everything that she had told them, agreed.

He got ready and Kaoru raised her bokken into a stance. They waited and watched each other, daring the other to make a move. Finally, Sano moved to punch her, but she moved and blocked. He went to punch again, but she flipped backwards, landed in a low crouch, and was gone. The next thing Sano knew was that he was lying on the ground, the wind knocked out of him.

Kaoru smiled down at him and helped him stand once he was alright again.

"How did you do that?" She just smiled at him.

"That's not as fast as I can go. I can do a lot more than that." She was grinning from ear to ear.

Kenshin's trained eyes had watched exactly what she had done and it amazed him. She had landed into a low crouch and ran at Sano. She flipped over him and swept his feet from under him. It was so simple, yet if she had gone against someone better than her, she might have been injured or worse.

Sano sat next to Kenshin and huffed.

"You need to fight her, she's good. You're the only one here that can even keep up with her. It'll be interesting to watch."

"I don't think that I could do that Sano. I don't want to accidentally hurt her, that I don't." He told him.

"Oh, come on, fight her, I want to see what else she can do."

"Kenshin," a sweet voice rang through the air. "come on, I need the practice. I want to see what I can still do."

She looked at him sweetly and he could do nothing, but obey.

"Kenshin, here." Megumi handed him a bokken. Kenshin smiled in thanks at her and approached Kaoru.

"Ok, Kenshin, let's begin." She told him.

They got into their stances and stared at each other.

"Ready...Fight!" Sano's voice boomed in the silence.

They were blurs against the woods. You could hear their heavy breathing and bokken hits against each other. Kaoru watched Kenshin intently as she fought him; she found him to be beautiful as he fought. Kenshin watched Kaoru intently as he fought her; he found her to be angelic in his eyes. Kaoru managed to get close enough to him when she flipped over him to leave a ghost of a caress on his cheek. They both flipped backwards and landed into low crouches.

Sano, Yahiko, and Megumi's mouths hung open.

Kaoru smirked widely as she stood up.

"You're good," Kenshin said softly as he walked next to her. Kaoru smiled at the praise and walked closer to him.

"I may be good, but you'll always be better." Kenshin only smiled softy and they walked to the others.

"Believe me now?" She asked. They just nodded and finally closed their mouths. She stretched and slightly winced as her skin stretched over her new scars.

"Gah...I'm sore now." She yawned.

She smiled at them until she heard a snapping of twigs. She whirled around and faced where the sound had come from. Kenshin stood completely still next to her. Her grip on her bokken tightened when she sensed the dark aura of her attacker and several other people around them.

"I see that you are still well my dear Kaoru. That will all change today! I will have the revenge I have sought for years with your slow death." He cackled as he emerged from the woods. Kenshin's eyes flickered dangerously until Kaoru laid a soft, strong hand on his. He looked down to see her trying to loosen his hold on his Sakabatou. He loosened his grip and smiled down at her; she smiled back. Sano and Yahiko stood behind them as Megumi went into the dojo. Kenshin dropped the bokken as he unsheathed his sword. A single word passed his lips,

"Come."

They rushed out of the woods, quickly trying to separate Kaoru and Kenshin. They stuck together as long as they could, until they were finally split up.

Kaoru watched as the man that haunted her dreams walk up to her.

"Kaoru, what a pleasure to see you after so many years," he smiled wickedly at her. She just gripped her bokken tighter.

"Do you want to know the name of the man that is going to kill you?" She didn't flinch at the madness in his voice.

"Matakashi," he lunged at her. She blocked and flipped backwards. He ran at her feinting to the left. She feinted a block there before she blocked his intended hit.

"You're good, your father taught you very well." He pushed her back. She ran at him and at the last minute jumped up and over him. He turned around quickly to meet a bokken smashing into his windpipe. He stepped back and spat blood off to the side.

"Nice move," he told her wickedly. He ran at her and landed a hit to her stomach. She still stood and attacked him. She hit him in the side, back of the neck, and broke his nose, but he was still grinning

"You're going to die," he said calmly, madness evident in his voice.

He charged at her again, this time making a switch between two swords. Kaoru noticed that the tip of the new sword was red. She got ready and charged at him. He disappeared as she went to strike.

Pain erupted through her back. She felt him cut her training outfit and slice along her scar, opening it once again. She did not scream. She stumbled and whipped around quick enough to strike him in the side of the neck. It popped loudly and he screamed; she raised the bokken again and landed a knockout blow to the base of his neck.

She walked away from him and stumbled towards her friends.

Kenshin desperately tried to get to Kaoru, but could not at the moment. Movement out of the corner of his eye took his attention. It was Kaoru. She seemed alright until he saw the trial of blood following her. He fought harder and took down his opponent. He ran to her just as she struck the ground.

Sano and Yahiko finished up the last of the men and ran to him and Kaoru.

Kenshin picked her up and carried her in as Megumi came to the door. Her hand flew to her mouth when she saw Kaoru, but she quickly composed herself. She went to Kaoru's room and grabbed her futon; running back to the living room she placed on it the ground.

She ordered Kenshin to lay Kaoru on her stomach. He did so and went to get the things she needed in order to help the one he loved.

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Little did they know that the one they loved so dearly might be taken away and it has to do with the red stain at the end of Matakashi's blade...

Review and the story will continue. So far so good I think at least. Sorry I haven't updated in a long time. Really busy with school and it's drama. Love you all...REVIEW!


	5. Truth

-1'I do not own any of the Characters in this story. Only Matakashi. They belong to the genius that created it and I have no right to say that they are mine. Though I really wish they were. I hope you enjoy the continuance of this story because it only gets better.'

'The truth will start coming out and the pain of it will shock and horrify them. Only time will tell what happens. Can the others hold on for her sake as well as their own? Read and find out.'

XoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoX

Truth

Hours went by after Kaoru was bandaged and still she did not wake.

Sano, Kenshin and Yahiko had taken Matakashi and his men to Saitou, while Megumi watched over their friend. After the questions were done they headed quickly back to Kaoru and the dojo.

A knock at the door brought Sano out of his revere. He stood up and answered it; it was a messenger from Saitou.

"Please give this to Megumi-dono; it's very important that she gets this." The messenger handed a note and a small vial, filled with red liquid, to him.

Sano nodded to the messenger and closed the door. He headed to where Kaoru and Megumi were. He knocked and went in when he heard Megumi say come in. He looked at Kaoru and then Megumi, handing her the vial and note. He left and stood outside the door.

She studied the small vile before reading the note that came with it.

_"Miss Megumi,_

_We found this vial on Matakashi's person. We believe it to be poison. Also, when his sword was cleaned we found the same substance on the tip of the sword. I have reason to believe that Kaoru has been poisoned. Another thing is that we found out where he had been in hiding. We have found a journal that belonged to him. It has some information about when he first cut her. He wrote that he had put a poison into her body that first time they met. Later, when she was stabbed by those men, a second poison had entered her body. Now, a third poison has been added to those others. In his journal he called it the Dragon's Death. That when the poisons came into contact with each other, that the victim would have little or no chance for survival. _

_I have faith in your ability to heal people. I know that Kaoru will be healed and all will be well. That bastard is going to be executed for all the crimes he's committed. Let the god's be in favor of you."_

_Saitou_

Megumi looked at the vial in horror and then back at to the note. She reread the note even though her hands were shaking badly. She folded it up and set it next to the vial.

She just noticed that she had been crying and tried to wipe away the tears, but they would not stop; she sobbed quietly into her hands.

Sano had stood outside the door waiting for an unknown reason.

When he heard the crying, he opened the door, and walked to her. He sat down beside her and pulled her to him. She tensed; confused, but relaxed as she leaned against him. Throwing her arms around his neck she cried into his shoulder. He smoothed her hair with one hand while rubbing small circles, with the other, on her back. Slowly she began to stop, only hiccupping once in a while, and looked up at him. She got out of his arms and smiled gratefully at him.

He blushed and rubbed the back of his head absently, while flashing her a small smile in return. Megumi stood up and rubbed her eyes.

"Yahiko! Yahiko, get in here now!" She yelled; her voice cracking a tiny bit.

The young boy scrambled into the room as fast as he could and looked from her to Sano then to Kaoru and then back at her.

"Yahiko, I know it's late, but I need you to go to Saitou and tell him that I need to read the journal," the boy looked confused. "Don't worry about it, he'll understand. Now go!" He scattered and headed off.

Megumi held her hand up, stopping Sano from voicing his question.

"I will tell you, though not right now. I need you to go get Doctor Gensai. Tell him to bring everything that he can find to identify what type of poison this is." She held the vial up.

Sano paled and was going to ask something when he felt her aura darken. He looked at her and she pointed to the door. He fled her anger and frustration.

Kenshin watched as they left with mild interest. His thoughts were on the battle in which he had failed to protect the one he loved from Matakashi. He barely noticed when Megumi, with still red eyes, came and sat next to him. He felt her hand on his shoulder, but still did not look up from where he gazed. She let her hand drop to her lap and looked to the stars.

"Kenshin, it's not you fault that she was injured, you had no way of getting over there. She battled him by herself and won, though she was injured. You shouldn't blame yourself for things you could not help. Kaoru-chan wouldn't forgive you if you did." She told him quietly.

Kenshin smiled slightly at her words, thinking about how angry Kaoru would be if she found out what he was doing to himself.

Yahiko ran to Megumi and handed her the journal. She leaned against the dojo wall and opened it. She couldn't read it, so she asked Yahiko to get her a lamp. He came back with it and moved to where she had been sitting moments before, trying to catch his breath.

Megumi skipped through pages until she saw Kaoru's name on some of them. She read through the pages, growing more horrified as she did. They all told of Matakashi's hatred towards Kaoru and her family. The poisons were mentioned often, telling of how they would react under different circumstances. Some could react violently and cause death, while others would cause insanity. The journal told that only the strongest people could recover from this poisoning.

He described the pleasure he got from seeing how the poisons reacted differently in his victims. He went on about what happened before they died or went insane. The details were so gruesome that it sent shivers down her spine. She forced herself to keep reading.

The others watched her as she read the journal. The expressions that crossed her face scared them. She didn't seem aware that she was crying again and would whisper, "Oh my god," once in a while. She seemed completely absorbed in her reading.

She continued to read the journal and all it's horror in the pages. It kept saying that there was a cure, but not what it was. Finally, it hinted at some herbs that could help. She finished the journal and closed it.

Looking up, she felt the eyes of Kenshin and Yahiko staring at her. She motioned for Yahiko to come to her.

"Take this back to Saitou and tell him to read all of it. It has references to other victims. Go NOW!" She sent him off. "And don't read it! I'll tell you what's in it when you get back." She yelled after him.

She sunk against the wall and wiped her eyes for the second time that day. Just as Kenshin was going to ask her something, Sano and Doctor Gensai arrived.

Megumi took him to the room and closed the door.

Sano sat next to Kenshin and gazed at the stars. He glanced at Kenshin, noticing his hidden eyes and clenched fists. He laid a hand on his friends shoulder and noticed that it was shaking. It was then he noticed the small, wet marks on Kenshin's pants. Tear drops.

"Kenshin, what's wrong?" He asked.

Kenshin didn't answer right away.

"I couldn't protect her both times and now something is terribly wrong. The whole time that Miss Megumi was reading the journal she was crying. It isn't like her to cry unless something is really wrong. I feel responsible and that I failed them both somehow. I feel useless." He all but choked out.

Sano didn't know how to comfort his friend.

"Come on Kenshin. You know how strong Missy is, she'll be fine, don't you worry." He told his grieving buddy.

Kenshin only nodded his head as a few tears leaked down his cheeks as he looked to the stars for comfort. He found none amongst them.

Kaoru's Room

"What do you think the poison could be?" Megumi asked the Doctor.

"I do not know yet, though from what you have told me, we need to find out quick," he answered.

They got to work, staying up late into the night.

Morning

Kenshin awoke to the dawning of another day and got up to start breakfast.

Slowly, everyone started to awake to the smell of good food.

The previous day's events hung heavily upon everyone's shoulders as they ate in silence at the table.

Suddenly, a scream interrupted all their thoughts. Megumi and Doctor Gensai fled to Kaoru's room before anyone could react.

Kenshin raced after them, only to catch a glimpse of a flailing Kaoru, before being rudely pushed out. He pounded on the door, demanding to be let in.

Sano roughly held Kenshin until he felt his anger fade away.

He sunk, defeated, against the wall beside the door. He wasn't aware of anything as he gazed unfocusedly on the other wall.

Yahiko stared at the door worriedly, wondering what was going on and what was going to happen.

Sano sighed and sat by his buddy, Yahiko following him. They sat together in silence, waiting for any news about the one that they all loved.

Megumi opened the door and stepped into the hall, closing the door softly behind her.

"What's going on?" Yahiko asked fearfully. He didn't want to lose someone else he loved. Megumi sighed and studied them closely.

Sano's worried expression, Yahiko's fearful face, and Kenshin's hidden eyes.

"She's getting worse." Was all she said. That was all that was needed to break them.

Sano was shocked; he let his anger out by slamming his fist into the wall. Yahiko, who had gotten up when she had come out, sank against the wall and hugged his knees. Kenshin looked broken. His eyes had become dull and listless. His shoulders sagged and his head hung against his chest.

"Kenshin!" A scream erupted from the room behind them. Kenshin was up and in the room before the others had time to react.

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Hey everybody! Thank you to everyone that has reviewed so far... I want you to know that I appreciate everything that you have written for me...If you review again I'll post the next chapter! Thanks again...


	6. A Hell of her own

-1I do not own any of the Characters in this story. Only Matakashi. They belong to the genius that created it and I have no right to say that they are mine. Though I really wish they were. I hope you enjoy the continuance of this story because it only gets better.

A personal hell all her own and her friends can't do a thing to help her. Will they be able to handle what comes out of this or will they break under the pressure? Read and find out.

XoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoX

A Hell of her own

Kenshin was at Kaoru's side in an instant.

She was on her stomach, her head to one side, and crying out his name. He felt her forehead and discovered that she had a raging fever.

"Miss Megumi! Kaoru has a fever!" He yelled.

She ran in and tried to tell Kenshin to leave, but one look at his face told her that he would not. She sighed and got to work preparing medicine to break the fever with Doctor Gensai's help.

Kenshin was beside her, holding her hand gently in his, and smoothing the hair away from her face. She was sweating profusely and breathing heavily.

No one knew that she was living in her own personal Hell.

Kaoru's POV

"Kenshin?"

"Kenshin?" I yelled as I walked through the darkness.

"Kenshin!" I screamed as I felt something pull me down into the darkness.

I landed, on what, I don't know.

The smell of death and rot filled my nose. I gagged, quickly covering my mouth and nose. I slowly got up and tried to stop my head from spinning.

Looking around, I could see something in the distance. I started to walk to it, forgetting about what could have pulled me down.

Light surrounded me as I stopped walking. The scene that lay before me was unimaginably horrifying. Bodies laid strewn across the land, as I stood on top of a hill. Blood painted the ground red and seemed to glow as the sun started to set.

Tears sprang to my eyes as they fell upon my friends, my second family. I ran to Sano and Yahiko, who were next to each other, and checked on them; they were barely alive.

Out of POV

"Sano, Yahiko, what happened?" She asked them quietly, holding one of their hands in each of her own.

Sano looked at her, a great sadness in his eyes.

"You've come back, Kaoru! Are you...Are you here to take us to the other side?" He said fearfully, even though he could feel that he was fading.

"What? I'm not dead! I can't be!" She nearly screeched out.

"But you did die Kaoru. We saw you take your last breath. The poison from Matakashi killed you. Kenshin was grief stricken, he went to Saitou and ordered to see him, but he had escaped again." It was Yahiko that spoke this time.

Kaoru couldn't think, couldn't do anything, but try to understand that she was dead.

"Where...Where is Kenshin now?" She asked her friends as she tried to give them as much comfort as she could. She couldn't stop the fact that they were dying and she couldn't help them.

"He...We...set out to find your murderer and found out that he had regrouped his men. We were attacked and that is why we're here."

"Kenshin...Kenshin is fighting Matakashi, but I don't know where." Sano wheezed out and smiled at her before closing his eyes.

"Goodbye little sister. I'll see you again." Sano's soul left him as a small smile graced his still face.

Tears slipped down her and Yahiko's cheeks. She carefully picked Yahiko up and cradled him in her arms.

She felt him relax completely against her an she kissed the top of his head.

"I love you, Yahiko, my little brother, sleep well." She whispered to him.

"Goodbye, big sister, I love you too." He answered as his eyes closed for the last time.

She cried more as she set him beside Sano. She kissed them both on their cheeks before standing. For the first time she noticed the men that stood around her. They were pale and looked frightened. She looked at herself and noticed that she was translucent. She was a ghost!

She smiled sadly.

"Take me to Kenshin now!" Her voice boomed. All the men fled, but a man, a boy really, that motioned for her to follow him.

They walked a ways and finally saw who she wanted to see.

Kenshin held his shoulder, murder glinting in his eyes. She gasped, she had never seen him this angry before. Never.

He bent down and picked up his sword, his left arm hanging uselessly by his side.

What chilled her the most was that he had flipped the blade. His stance was deadly and his eyes flashed gold.

Her blood ran cold; she was frozen to her spot as she watched.

Matakashi attacked and Kenshin dodged and brought his blade across Matakashi's sword arm. He screamed and jumped back.

He glanced at his arm and charged at Kenshin.

Kenshin changed his stance, and before she could utter a word, his sword had gone straight through Matakashi.

She could see the blood at the tip of the blade start to run down it.

Kenshin jerked the sword out and Matakashi slashed him across the chest before he fell back and took his last breath.

Kenshin stumbled away from the battle, before leaning against a tree, yards away from his opponents body.

Forgetting that he had killed, she ran to him.

He looked at her, as she approached, with startled, violet eyes.

"Kaoru?" He asked unbelievingly.

"Yes, Kenshin, I'm here and I won't ever leave." She said as she hugged him gently.

"I failed you...I couldn't save you from him or the poison. I lost you." He finished quietly.

"You didn't lose me Kenshin...I'm right here and I won't leave again, I promise." She told him.

He hugged her tight against him as he tried to calm his breathing. Suddenly pain ripped through him and he screamed. It was a pain like no other; he knew at that moment that he had been poisoned. He struggled through the fog of his mind to look at the girl in his arms. She was looking at him worriedly. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it only turned into a grimace of pain.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I've been poisoned." He said quietly. He couldn't lie to her, he had never been able to. She looked shocked until that wore off and she began to cry against him. He tried to comfort her, but the pain was intensifying.

She moved so that he could rest his head in her lap as she started stroking his hair from his face. He calmed a little as he closed his eyes. They opened as he felt her soft lips on his forehead and heard the words that he wanted to hear from her mouth for so long.

"I love you Kenshin." He smiled and looked into her sad, but love filled eyes.

"I love you, too, Kaoru." He used his last breath to whisper out. Kaoru bent over him as sobs racked her small frame.

"NO! Kenshin! Don't leave me, please! I love you! Please open your eyes, please." She cried out. Her heart felt like it was splitting in two; her whole world had come crumbling down around her.

"WHY! Why did you take them away from me! Why?" She yelled at the stormy skies above them.

Reality

Kenshin watched as Kaoru struggled with her dream, or at least, he thought it was a dream. Ever once in a while she would call out for him or say things that scared him.

He didn't leave her side even to eat as he watched her for any changes. He just wanted to see her eyes open to see her beautiful brown eyes. He sighed and adjusted his position against the wall to wait.

"NO! Kenshin! Don't leave me, please!" He was at her side not a moment later trying to soothe her.

"I'm right her Kaoru, I'm not leaving to go anywhere." Though the girl seemed not to hear him.

"I love you! Please open your eyes, please!" He was shocked at what he heard and tried to smother his hopes as he concentrated on calming her. He watched as her small body shook with sobs that tore at his heart and soul.

"WHY! WHY did you take them away from me! Why?" She yelled before letting the sobs control her.

He smoothed the hair from her face and wiped the tear from her cheeks, slowly she began to calm. He thought over what had just happened and noticed that his friends had been watching what had took place. He gave them a shaky smile before looking at the girl on the ground.

'Did you mean it?' He thought as he stood and went to get some fresh air. Sano and Yahiko took watch over her.

'Kaoru.' Kenshin thought as he sat in the sun.

'I hope that I'll get the chance to tell you what I want you to know.'

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A/N: My thanks to everyone that reviews...Please I want some more reviews!

(gets down on knees and begs)

Please!


	7. Finding Her

-1I do not own any of the Characters in this story; only Matakashi. They belong to the genius that created it and I have no right to say that they are mine. Though I really wish they were. I hope you enjoy the continuance of this story because it only gets better.

XoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoXoxoxoxoxoxoX

Kenshin came back in later after he thought on what had happened. He didn't speak when he entered the dojo; he just went to his room to get a couple of hours of sleep at the least.

The others didn't disturb him even when it was dinner time; they just sat and ate the meal that Megumi cooked for them quietly. Soon after that they went to bed, except for Megumi and Doctor Gensai, though they too eventually fell asleep.

Morning

A scream pierced their groggy, sleep fogged minds. Jerking awake, Kenshin ran to the source and discovered that he came to Kaoru's bedroom door. He threw the door open and his eyes landed on the one screaming. It wasn't Kaoru, it was Megumi, and instead of Kaoru lying on the futon, there wasn't anyone. He looked around and that was when he noticed the small trail of blood leading out onto the porch.

He quickly followed it and lost the trail as it entered the woods behind the dojo. He twisted around to find his friends, his new family, waiting on his command to find Kaoru.

"We'll split up and search in different directions, until someone finds her. When you do, whistle, can everyone here whistle?" He asked; they nodded in answer.

"Good, when you find her whistle until one of us shows up. She can't have gone far. Let's go," and with that he took off, trying to pick up her trail again.

The farther he went in, the darker it got, and the harder it was for him to follow the trail he picked up earlier. Finally, he lost it and he stood for a moment trying to get his bearings.

"Vhiiiiiii," startled he stopped looking around.

"Vhiiiiiii," sounded again and he knew that she had been found.

He took off towards the sound, dodging trees and low shrubs to get there.

With Kaoru

Yahiko stood stock still as he looked at the scene before him. Kaoru was laying on a huge rock that was next to a large stream. She was on her back even though it was bleeding and her blood was running down the sides of the rock. Through all of this she sang, a song that was haunting, yet stunning in its beauty.

"_How can you see into my eyes  
Like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core,  
Where I've become so numb._

Without a soul,  
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,  
Until you find it there and lead it back  
Home."  


She had a rose in her hand and a dark indigo ribbon was tied in a neat bow around it. Yahiko knew the story of that ribbon and who had given her that rose. Before she had been kidnapped by Jin eh, she had given her ribbon to Kenshin, knowing that sooner or later that he was going to fight Jin eh. And since he had her favorite ribbon she told him that he had to come back to give it to her. She continued to sing as he remembered what he had been told about it.

_  
"Wake me up inside.  
Wake me up inside.  
Call my name and save me from the dark.  
Bid my blood to run.  
Before I come undone.  
Save me from the nothing I've become."_

She had been kidnapped right after she had given it to him. He had gone after Jin eh and found out that if he didn't kill his opponent that Kaoru would die. He had somehow frozen her lungs, preventing her from breathing, and the only way to break it was for him to die.

_"Now that I know what I'm without,  
You can't just leave me.  
Breathe into me and make me real.  
Bring me to life."_

She had told him with her eyes not to kill him, but he didn't see any other way. So he started to fight Jin eh and finally when he went to kill him, she broke out of her state and started to heave great breaths of precious air. She looked to him and whispered, for her voice was very weak,

"Please do not revert back to the Hitokiri... do not utilize the sword... to... kill...," and with that she had started to fall forward.

Kenshin rushed to her side and caught her. Kenshin talked to Jin eh and then he had killed himself instead of being captured alive. Later, after everything that had happened, Kenshin had washed the blood stained ribbon and tied it to a rose and gave it to her. He asked her to forgive him for getting blood on it. She had smiled and gave him a quick hug, before taking out her magical bokken and thumped Yahiko over the head for calling her something inappropriate.

"_Wake me up inside.  
Wake me up inside.  
Call my name and save me from the dark.  
Bid my blood to run.  
Before I come undone.  
Save me from the nothing I've become."_

He whistled again and soon he started to hear the running of feet towards him. Suddenly Kenshin burst out from his left, looking a little frantic, but that quickly changed to shock as he looked at the scene before him. He looked at Yahiko with shock and little bit of anger, but shook his head and proceeded to get closer to her. He finally noticed that she was singing and he looked a little frightened at the words she sang.

_"Bring me to life.  
(I've been living a lie.  
There's nothing inside)  
Bring me to life. _

_Frozen inside without your touch,  
Without your love, darling.  
Only you are the life among the dead."_

Sano and Megumi emerged from the right a ways apart and came to stand next to Yahiko. They watched as Kenshin walked closer and closer to Kaoru after she had finally stopped singing her song. Still she twirled the rose between her fingers and hummed the haunting melody of the song that would stay forever within Yahiko.

"You're all that I have left now of him, little rose. He gave me you with my favorite ribbon tied to you. He gave you to me after I was kidnapped and asked for forgiveness for getting blood on the ribbon that you hold. He washed it off of course before he gave me you. Now you're the only thing that I have left of him. They all died and I'm all alone again. Mama died fighting for me, so did Daddy. Sano and Yahiko died from Matakashi's men, I think that Megumi died from them as well. Kenshin ...'she sobbed, 'Kenshin died from Matakashi even after he had killed him. I'm all alone again; I hate the dark when I'm alone, my memories come to haunt me when it's dark. Why does everyone I know die for me in the end? Why?" She whispered to herself, yet the others heard everything that she had said and it chilled them deep.

"What's wrong with her Megumi?" Yahiko asked, terrified.

"She's still trapped inside her mind from the poison. She thinks that we all died because in her dreams she must have dreamt of us dying because of Matakashi's men. Now she thinks she's the only one left." Megumi answered.

Kenshin approached and noticed that her eyes were fogged over and she probably couldn't see anything as she cried silently. He climbed unto the rock and gently lifted her into his arms; she was asleep, the rose hanging loosely in her hand. She sighed and unconsciously snuggled closer to him though she winced in pain as she stretched the newly opened wound on her back. He jumped down from the bloodied rock and walked quickly to his new family. They followed him out of the woods and into her bedroom once again.

He laid her gently on her futon and took the rose she held from her loose fingers and laid it above her head. Megumi ushered everyone out of the room except Doctor Gensai. They set about mending the tear that she had created by moving while the others went about cleaning the blood that stained the porch deck.

After they had finished the guys all sat on the front porch of the dojo and watched as the sun started it's decent in the sky. The silence was broken when Yahiko's stomach growled loudly startling the others out of their reveres. They laughed a little before Kenshin got up and went to fix an early dinner.

Sano and Yahiko sat in a comfortable silence until Kenshin came back out to tell them that the food was done and that they better eat before it gets cold. They both nodded and got up heading inside.

Kenshin ate quickly and went to get Megumi and Doctor Gensai, who were watching over Kaoru, so that they could eat, yet still have someone watching over her. They thanked him gratefully and left him alone with her.

In her room

He smoothed some hair out of her face and was grateful for the peaceful look that she had on her face. He sat there for awhile and just watched her sleep. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't expect to doze off, but that was what happened.

He didn't notice or hear when Kaoru awoke and looked at him.

"Kenshin...help me...please..." She whispered as she reached her hand out to touch him, but she fell short and her eyes glistened over with tears. Her hand dropped heavily to the ground and her eyes clouded over before she fell into her own Hell once more.

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A/N: Sorry for taking so long in updating. I couldn't figure out how to write this chapter...I might have chapter 8 up real soon as a way of making up the time I didn't update...I hope you enjoyed this new chapter...I would love it if you would review and let me know what I could do to improve it...Thanks ...


	8. Believe

-1

I know that it's been awhile since I've updated, but my parents decided to split, so it's been a little hectic at home. Well I hope that you guys aren't too disappointed with how long it's taken me to actually begin to write again. Sorry…

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Believe

Recap: "Kenshin...help me...please..." She whispered as she reached her hand out to touch him, but she fell short and her eyes glistened over with tears. Her hand dropped heavily to the ground and her eyes clouded over before she fell into her own Hell once more.

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Yahiko struggled with the covers of his bed as his dreams held them in its grasp. Tossing and turning, he tried to escape the nightmares that held him so tightly.

His Dream

He walked in a field of death and saw what Kaoru had seen earlier and what made her believe that everyone was dead. He saw himself and Sano lying on the ground covered with blood and gore. He heard what he and Sano said and tears sprung to his eyes. He viciously wiped them away and followed Kaoru as she followed the boy who lead her to Kenshin. He watched with wide eyes as Kenshin flipped his blade and attacked Matakashi, he saw how after Matakashi was hit that he slashed at Kenshin and he noticed the red at the end of the blade. He knew even before Kenshin screamed, that their was no hope for survival and that Kaoru would be alone again. He heard their confession for each other and turned his head when he heard her mournful cry and her anger at the world.

His world started to go black and he rushed to get to Kaoru before he couldn't see her anymore, but he failed. He was lost in the darkness when he heard crying from the shadows. He ran towards the sound and found that Kaoru was sitting with the rose and ribbon on the rock from earlier that day. He tried to get to her again, but was pushed back by a barrier that blocked the way. Shoving against the shimmering mass that blocked the way he couldn't get past it and had to watch the events that came after it. On the verge of tears he was brought into the room when Kenshin fell asleep and saw that Kaoru had actually woken up and tried to get through to Kenshin. He was angered when he saw that.

Kenshin didn't seem to notice that the woman that he loved had woken up, if only briefly, for him. Right afterwards he felt ashamed at his anger and shoved it into the back of his mind.

"Yahiko," someone called from behind. He turned and was shocked to see a battered Kaoru behind him. He ran to her and threw his arms around her, engulfing her in brotherly hug.

"Kaoru, what's happened to you?" He asked worriedly as he looked her over.

"I'm losing the battle with the poison, this is my spirit that you are seeing and the wounds are the scars of these nightmares that I live through over and over again. I tried to get through to Kenshin, but his mind is filled with regret for the deaths of the people he's killed; he has enough on his mind. You have to find a way to get through to me before it's too late… Please help me." She finished, crying silently in his embrace.

"I will, I promise." He answered as he felt the time between them fade and he was drawn back into the world of the conscious.

"Yahiko, Yahiko, Yahiko! Wake up!" Someone yelled as they shook him awake.

Startled, he jumped up and looked around for Kaoru and only found that Megumi was the one that was shaking him awake. He latched onto her and cried for the fact that they were close to losing the one they loved and no one knew it but him. He wiped the tears away from his eyes and stood up, heading towards Kaoru's room.

Megumi followed him and tried to ask what had happened to cause him to act this way, what nightmare had the capability to make this high strung boy cry. He refused to answer her and opened the door to Kaoru's room. He startled Kenshin awake and he looked a little ashamed to the fact that he hadn't heard anyone approaching. Yahiko barely spared him a look as he concentrated solely on Kaoru and where her arm was positioned. He was disappointed in Kenshin, but couldn't blame him on the fact that he was exhausted.

He looked back at the others, Sano and Doctor Gensai were in the doorway, and sighed deeply as he motioned for the others to sit down as he did. They all followed suit and he recalled the dream he had to them, word for word though he blushed at the fact that he had to repeat the 'I love you's' that Kenshin and Kaoru had shared in her nightmare where she had lost everyone close to her.

They were startled at the fact that she had been able to come to someone in the condition that her mind is in and they couldn't quite believe that she had come to him in his dreams. They decided to keep a closer watch on her over the next weeks, but they couldn't quite completely believe that he hadn't just dreamt it up because of his closeness to her.

He was outraged and refused to talk to them, believing that he had sentenced her to her doom. Kenshin believed him, but didn't outright tell him that for the fact that he was afraid to put too much hope into the fact that she might get better when no one else had survived this poison ness cocktail.

They all slowly left the room and let Yahiko alone with Kaoru. He scooted next to her and took her hand softly in his. He talked to her about how he was going to be nicer to her when she woke up. Also, how he was going to be the best student she ever had and the best little brother if she wanted him to be. He talked to her for hours, always holding her hand and smoothing her hair down her back gently. Finally, he went out of the room to get something from Megumi for a sore throat. He could barely speak when he went to see Megumi and she smiled sadly at him when he took the medicine she gave him and went back into the room with Kaoru.

He talked late into the night and refused any food or company that they brought to him; they couldn't persuade him to leave her side, even for an instant. Finally, near dawn he fell asleep adjacent to her, still holding her hand. When Kenshin walked in he could see a ghost of a smile gracing Kaoru's lips, amazed, he looked between the boy and girl and smiled a little himself before going to get Yahiko a blanket.

Kaoru opened her eyes, haunted and yet beautiful, and turned them towards the little boy holding her hand. You could see the confusion in her eyes as she struggled to grasp the concept that they were dead, but here was Yahiko, alive and well and holding her hand no less. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled to get closer to Yahiko to touch his face and to make sure that he was real and not another figment of her imagination.

Crying harder now, she pulled Yahiko to her as much as she could and hugged him to her gently, but with a force that told anyone that she wouldn't let go until she was ready. She didn't notice when Kenshin came in or when he dropped the futon and blanket he was carrying. She barely noticed his shout of shock or when the others came running, full tilt, down the hallway and into her room. All she cared about at the moment was that Yahiko was alive and that she wasn't alone anymore.

Finally, Yahiko was drawn away from the world of pleasant dreams and into the world where someone was hugging him with a force that wasn't at all unpleasant. Opening his eyes slowly he noticed that he could only see the top of the head that was hugging him. Looking closer, he noticed that the hair was a dark blue-ish black and the only person in their household with that color hair was…Kaoru!

"Kaoru, you're awake!" He whispered excitedly to her. She stirred from her spot and looked up at him with tearful, happy eyes.

"You're…you're alive…this isn't a dream is it?" She whispered fearfully.

"This isn't a dream, and yes I'm alive and so is everyone else." He whispered back to her.

Startled at that fact she finally became aware of everyone else in the room. Her eyes swept over Megumi who was crying into an uncomfortable looking Sano, a happy Doctor Gensai, and finally they landed on Kenshin. With a cry of happiness she tried to move into a sitting position, but Yahiko held her down and everyone came and sat down in her field of vision.

"Is this real or is it some sick joke?" She asked quietly, more to herself than anyone else.

"It's real, we're here for you." Megumi answered gently. Kaoru smiled a little, but her eyes stayed unbelieving still against the hope that this was real and not all inside her mind.

They looked worried as they all noticed the look in her eyes and Megumi drew them outside the room and into the kitchen to talk about her mental condition.

"She's going to need time to adjust to the fact that everything that she's 'lived' through was all in her mind and was caused by the poison in her system."

"What can we do to help her?" Yahiko asked determinedly.

"The only thing we really can do for her is to talk to her and give her time to adjust and get used to the idea that she's not alone anymore." Doctor Gensai answered.

"We also have to have patience with her." Megumi added.

They all nodded and Yahiko went into her room before Kenshin had the chance, sighing he decided to give Yahiko a chance to talk to her before he did. Let him explain what had happened to her in his way and if she had anymore questions about it he would answer them for her.

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Sooo sorry for talking so long in updating… I hope you like this chapter, because I have a few twists in this story before it's completed. Please review with what you think about it. Thanks for reading….


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everybody,

I know that it's been a really long time since I updated this story and for that I am very, very, very sorry. I seem to have lost my way with this story and have finally decided that I need to finish it, not just for myself but for everyone that has reviewed it. I am going to be going back and revising the chapters first as I wrote them a long time ago and now they seem to be poorly written compared to my writing now.

I have an idea as to where I want to go with this story, but if anyone has any suggestions, that would be great cause I'm still having trouble getting to the point that I want to get to.

Once again I am really, really, really sorry for how long it's taken for me to get back to this story and hope that you guys haven't completely given up on me.

~Kilala


	10. Coming Back

Yay! Chapter 9 is up… Well I hope that you enjoy the story. I do not own any of the characters… I wish I did though…well except Matakashi…

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Coming Back

* * *

Weeks had passed and Kaoru had fully recovered from the wound on her back, but not completely from the effects the poison had on her mind. She would have terrible nightmares that would leave her gasping for breath and thrashing around in the arms of anyone that tried to hold her down. Megumi checked her over mentally whenever she could, but she saw no signs of the old Kaoru. Kenshin and Yahiko were the most patient with her and Megumi was thankful for their patience. She knew that this would bring their Kaoru back; their patience would pay off eventually.

* * *

Kaoru sat under the sakura tree in their backyard, it was finally spring again, and yet she couldn't feel the joy for the season like she used to. Sighing, she stood and went into her room for a little time away from all the happiness in the world that she couldn't grasp. She decided to change from her kimono into her old training outfit. She noticed that someone had stitched it up in the back and that you really couldn't tell that it had been slashed. Grabbing her bokken, she left her room and went into the forest that her mother and father's shrine was in. She sat with her back against the shrine and closed her eyes to the world. She needed peace, to find the happiness that she once had. She sat there for the longest time, her bokken resting across her lap, and her hands on either end of it. Her eyes stayed closed, but her demeanor changed and became more relaxed.

Kenshin and the others watched from the shadows as she stood, still with her eyes closed, and let her bokken hang loosely from her hand. Tensing, she grabbed her bokken and stepped into position of defense. Through all of this her eyes stayed closed and she kept them closed through all the rest.

She struck once left then right. She kept repeating the same attacks over and over again until she suddenly started to pick up the pace. They watched in awe at the way she moved when handling her bokken. Kenshin could almost see the person she was sparing with, because that was what she was doing. He could tell by the way she moved that this was a spare and not a training exercise. He knew from her past that she used to spare with her father and mother. He knew that she was relieving a match between her and one of her parents.

Looking at Yahiko he noticed that the boy's eyes were wide with shock and understanding. He looked back at Kaoru and noticed that her eyes had opened, but they were fogged and unfocused, but that wasn't what he was looking at.

A clear transparent figure was sparing with Kaoru. He looked between the others and that figure, but Yahiko and he seemed to be the only ones that noticed the presence of that figure. Looking closer at the figure he noticed that it had a slightly feminine build to it and deducted that it could only be Kaoru's mother.

He saw the resemblance between the two as they seemed to move as one as they spared. He saw the grace that she had passed onto her daughter and watched in silent awe as they continued on. Finally, Megumi grew worried and tried to go out there and stop her, but Kenshin held her back.

"Let her finish, she will be fine. It's a way to feel closer to her parents now that they are gone from this world. She's remembering a time when her and one of her parents were sparing. Let her have this time to herself, she needs it to cope with what has happened to her." Kenshin explained quietly to her. Megumi looked skeptical, but didn't argue with his explanation and decided to go back to the dojo. She dragged Sano and Yahiko along saying it didn't take them all to watch out for her. They halfheartedly agreed and went along with her.

Kenshin watched as she spared with her mothers spirit for hours, nonstop, until she finally dropped onto the ground in exhaustion. He stayed in the shadows as he watched her mother walk up to her and kneel in front of her. He saw her lips move, but heard no sound come from them and he knew that he wasn't supposed to. What she had said was meant only for her daughter and not the ears of anyone else.

Her mother's eyes met Kenshin's and he was lost in their piercing blue depths. He watched as he saw her lips move and heard the words she spoke to him in his head.

"Take care of her; I give my and my husbands blessings to you. Please, take care of her." And then she was gone.

Kenshin smiled in the wake of her departure and walked over to the exhausted Kaoru. Picking her up, he smiled when she didn't put up a fight at being carried, but instead snuggled closer to him. He looked down at her with warm, soft eyes and smiled softly when he heard soft sleeping noses coming from her. Laughing softly, he carried her to the dojo and laid her down on her futon. He watched her for a few moments before he got up to leave, but a small hand stopped him. Looking down, he saw that Kaoru had awakened slightly and that she had latched unto his hand.

"Please, don't leave me alone." She begged quietly. He couldn't refuse her pleading voice and so he stayed next to her as she slept soundly and for once without nightmares. He made her a silent promise that he would do anything in his power to help her come back to them. The old Kaoru would be reawakened and he could finally tell her how much he loved her.

* * *

Over the next few weeks they all noticed the change that had come over Kaoru. She had started to say more things and a smile would light up her face more often than a frown. It still wasn't the old Kaoru, but she was starting to show signs of returning to them.

* * *

Kaoru was in the backyard watching as Sano was sparing with Yahiko. She had told them that she wasn't up to sparing that day, but that Yahiko needed to be introduced to a different type of fighting style. She had asked Sano to introduce Yahiko to his type of fighting style and he had agreed grudgingly to it.

Surprisingly, Yahiko was picking up on the style very quickly. Kaoru smiled at her student and gave him a thumbs up when he looked towards her.

"You're doing very well Yahiko." She called to him as he traded punches with Sano. He smiled at her as he ducked a punch from Sano and landed one on Sano's left side. Sano grunted and continued to instruct him where to hit when the opponent wasn't protecting that area and how to deal the most damage. Yahiko was learning fast and his punches started to get a little harder once he became more confident with what he was learning.

Kenshin watched with a small smile as Kaoru's face would light up when she watched her student successfully catch onto what he was learning and use it against the larger man. He was proud to see the fiery spirit he loved returning to her as the days went on and he could only hope that she was finally coming back to them once and for all.

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Here you guys go, I should have the conclusion to this up in two or three chapters, hope to hear from my readers! Thanks for staying with me!


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